Tue Dec 18, 2018

This Meatwave season has been the hardest to schedule to date—between bad weather, vacation, and work schedules, finding weekends where I could host became challenging. This left me one cookout short of my goal, so I threw one last date on calendar for December, figuring that with the luck I've had this year, it probably wouldn't happen. Well, that day came, and while recent rains had left my backyard a mud pit, the temperature was unseasonably in the 70s, so I opened up the garage door and got the meat flowing one last time for 2019.

Thu Dec 13, 2018

When I was first telling my friends I was going to be making these Seattle Dogs, whose defining characteristic is the use of cream cheese, there was a little head scratching going on. I, for one, was super exited to try it, because let's face it, cream cheese is amazing stuff and I could only imagine it making a hot dog all the better. In the case of a Seattle-style hot dog though, it made even more sense because that cooling cheese would go on to help strike a balance with the spicy mustard and jalapeños also in play here, and after cooking these up, I can say that this was a truly a winning combination.

Thu Dec 6, 2018

After fifteen years of doing the Meatwave, it's kind of invigorating to make something that truly amazes me. This happened over this past season with these Philadelphia Roast Pork Sandwiches. While I will personally always be partial to a cheesesteak, I know this "second" sandwich of Philly is the superior specimen with its amazingly flavorful pork that's enhanced by bitter broccoli rabe and sharp provolone. It's one truly powerful and memorable sandwich, and when I set out to make it at Mid-Atlantic themed cookout, I figured it would probably be on par with my pulled pork, but this pork shoulder blew my standard barbecue away and is what I consider to be my crowning achievement of what ended up being a season filled with many meaty hits.

Thu Nov 29, 2018

You can't argue with a really good grilled cheese, right? Well, that was my logic when deciding to grill up these pimento cheese sandwiches at a Meatwave a couple months ago. I had a bit of a dilemma in that I was trying to find a suitable grilled vegetarian main to fit with a Mid-Atlantic theme, but kept coming up short of good ideas. I then set my sight a little further South and decided that, even if these sandwiches were a little off the mark geographically, they would certainly hit spot in my guest's hearts and bellies, and they did that quite well.